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August 2020 Reading Recap

Raise your hand if you hide from your family so you can finish a book!

(I don’t actually “hide” - but sometimes folding the laundry or cleaning up in a specific room might take me a bit longer than usual.)

I feel strongly about homeschool parents reading - reading widely and well. It’s fun to keep track of the books I’ve read and now start to look at patterns - which genres I choose and why - and how those patterns coincide with current events and the events going on in my own life.

Reading also helps me become well-educated - it assists me in my quest to figure out what I think is important for my children to know.

 Reading is everything. Reading makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something, learned something, become a better person. Reading makes me smarter. Reading gives me something to talk about later on. Reading is the unbelievably healthy way my attention deficit disorder medicates itself. Reading is escape, and the opposite of escape; it’s a way to make contact with reality after a day of making things up, and it’s a way of making contact with someone else’s imagination after a day that’s all too real. Reading is grist. Reading is bliss.— Nora Ephron

I read for all of the same reasons as Nora Ephron - “Reading is bliss!".

August Reading Recap at Homegrown Learners

I accomplished a lot of reading in August thanks to audiobooks. This has been a huge change for me in the past year, and when people tell me they just can’t pay attention long enough for an audiobook I tell them I had to TRAIN myself to listen.

Whether it is my son reading aloud to me (and I’m modeling listening) or I’m listening to an audiobook, listening is a SKILL that you are never too old to cultivate. I believe this skill of listening is translating to more than just books, too.

Books Read in August

August’s books were a mix of historical fiction (my favorite genre), homeschool development, memoir, and fiction. Intentionally I also pulled in a cozy mystery and fantasy, too.

Historical Fiction

I would recommend every book in this category! Each taught me something about a particular time period in history and added to my body of knowledge.

When We Were Young & Brave was probably my favorite - it is a story I knew NOTHING about - the internment teachers and children in a British run missionary school in Japan during WWII.

Homeschool Development

Memoir

  • The Beauty in Breaking

    I never go wrong with a Book of the Month Club selection. I love my membership in BOTM because I’m always guaranteed a good read that many other readers will be discussing, too. This memoir, by an African American doctor working in Emergency Room medicine, opened my eyes to a problem in our health care system that desperately needs to be fixed. It also addressed issues of racism and inequality in our healthcare system.

    (If you use my BOTM Club link you can get a discount on your first order.)

Fiction

Genres I Wouldn’t Normally Read

Both of these books were a pleasant surprise for me.

The first is a fantasy and the second is a cozy mystery.

I found 7 of the Maisie Dobbs books at a thrift store for $.50 each and I will definitely be reading all of them! (Apparently, this was quite the find because a lot of avid readers have been telling me how jealous they are.)

The House in the Cerulean Sea was one of my favorite audios of all time - it was just so whimsical and magical! Normally I don’t enjoy reading those types of books on my own, but I’m thinking maybe I’m wrong about that!

“Bookish” Necessities

A lot of followers on my bookish Instagram account requested I share about some of my book accessories.

Sigh. Yes, I have “bookish” accessories and my family thinks I’ve gone round the bend.

  • My favorite book light - this light keeps my marriage intact because it allows me to read late into the night while I’m in bed without disturbing my husband. I love it.

  • The iBeani - this is a great little beanbag for my iPad or Kindle - I can prop either device in it while I’m reading in bed or sitting on the sofa. There is also a pocket for your phone. I can see this being a GREAT gift for a college student! (see the carousel below for a picture of mine - I got the cute forest animals print that you see in the picture and it’s ADORABLE!)

Do you have a favorite book right now?

Tell me about it in the comments below!

August 2020 Reading Recap at Homegrown Learners

July 2020 Reading Recap

We begin our homeschool schedule in August, which will bring LESS time for reading.

(I think I read a lot in July to make up for that!)

When people ask me how I can read so much I remember what I heard a few weeks on a podcast - you make time for what you love.

I love to read.

Not only have I been learning so much, but I’ve also been living the lives of other people - having a variety of human experiences. This month I also chose some books that would strengthen my faith and prepare me for what I suspect is going to be a more challenging time in general.

Our local library opened (squeal!) and I also had the opportunity to check out a few of my favorite thrift stores for books.

July 2020 Reading Recap @ Homegrown Learners

This month I decided to categorize the books for you - books to strengthen your faith, help you escape, learn about history, and read-alouds.

I love chatting books. Come follow me on Instagram @homegrownbookpicks, where I share what I’m reading on a regular basis.

Books to Strengthen Your Faith

I enjoyed each of these books very much!

If you’re not familiar with Sean Dietrich (Sean of the South), you should be! I have been listening to his podcast and following his Facebook page this month. His memoir, Will the Circle Be Unbroken, was one of my favorites!

Life Together - the classic by Dietrich Bonhoeffer - is a primer for living in Christian community.

Love Does, by Bob Goff is a funny, touching book that made me laugh out loud.

Finally, Eve’s Daughters - by Lynn Austin - will go own as one of my favorite works of Christian fiction. I will definitely be reading more by Lynn Austin in the future!

Books to Read for an Escape

These three books - all of them page turners - get high marks from me this month.

Susan Wiggs is one of my go to authors when I just need something light and romantic. Lakeside Cottage did not disappoint.

Friends and Strangers, a new release by J. Courtney Sullivan, was more intense, but still a quick read. It is a popular book right now - if you like stories about strong females struggling to find their place in the world you’ll like this book.

Finally, I read The Night the Lights Went Out by Karen White. Wow! I would categorize this one as a mystery/thriller. It takes place in a fictitious suburb north of Atlanta and has so much that rings true if you’ve ever lived in the South. Super good!

Historical Fiction

This is my favorite genre by far. If I can learn something about history from a book I feel like it’s been time WELL spent.

The Last Train to Key West centers around the Flagler Railroad that ran to Key West. Because I grew up in SW Florida it was very interesting to me. Chanel Cleeton is one of my favorite writers, too.

I had to read another book by Julie Berry this month (I read one by her last month, too!) - The Passion of Dolssa took us all the way back to Medieval France and included mystery, romance, and more! This book is categorized Young Adult - I think it would be great for your high school girls.

I listened to Americanah and would highly recommend it on audio! This sweeping story takes us from Nigeria to the United States and back again. It taught me so much about life in Nigeria, life as an American African, and the perceptions we have of people - most of them often false.

Read-Alouds

We had one read-aloud this month.

In my son’s Challenge 2 curriculum this year we are focusing on British Literature. In order to prepare him we’ve been looking at some of the adaptations of assigned books.

Michael Morpurgo gives us a great retelling of Beowulf which I highly recommend. My son also read Sir Gawain & The Green Knight (also retold by Morpurgo) on his own this month.

What was your favorite book this month?

Share it with me in the comments below so I an add it to my list!

July 2020 Reading Recap @ Homegrown Learners